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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. degree — an amount
  4. cap — a hat
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. cap — of ice
  7. pass — a permit
  8. shower — to wash
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. chip — to eat
  11. shower — rain
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. degree — from a university
  15. cap — a lid
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. hand — help
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. chip — for betting
  23. degree — temperature
  24. hand — in cards

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com